


Countertop Stitches

by toasterness



Series: Late Night Rain [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Confessions, Gavin Free Is Bad At Feelings, Gavin Gets Into Some Trouble, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Blood, Mutual Pining, Protective Ryan Haywood, Ryan Haywood Is Bad At Feelings, The Author Loves Tropes, oblivious idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:27:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23166991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toasterness/pseuds/toasterness
Summary: “Hello Ryan,” he said as confidently as he could.The gent just glared at him. “What are you doing here”Ok, so he didn’t sound as angry as Gavin thought he would, just a bit annoyed, which was to be expected. Maybe this would actually work out alright.“Well, I was in the neighborhood, thought I'd nip by, maybe dry off."Ryan did not look impressed. “Gavin, it's past two am, what the hell is going on? You're soaked!”And yeah, ok, he was definitely absolutely drenched at this point, but Gavin figured he could play that to his advantage. He shrugged. "It's nothing, just a little rain. Could do with a towel though?"OrA Rude Awakening but from Gavin's point of view
Relationships: Gavin Free/Ryan Haywood
Series: Late Night Rain [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665286
Comments: 10
Kudos: 46





	Countertop Stitches

Stupid. He was so _stupid_.

How could he have let this happen? Everything had been going so well and he was positive that he’d checked his escape route beforehand and not seen any problems. Then again, it would be just his luck to find himself in this situation, wouldn’t it? Karma or some shit playing a cruel joke on him for all the terrible things he’d done in his life.

Honestly though, Gavin thought this was going a bit far.

“Stupid, worthless, _idiot_ ,” he grumbled to himself as he stumbled down the alley his car had been parked in before being generously taken off his hands. “Michael’s not going to let you live this down.”

God, he wished it wasn’t raining. The beating he’d just received at the hands of some rookie gang members aside, he had never been a fan of the rain in Los Santos; it made everything smell even worse than normal. Add on the fact that he was now car-less and Gavin was less than pleased. The large knife wound on his side didn’t help improve matters either.

At the end of the alleyway, Gavin paused to take a few ragged breaths. His ribs ached and he could feel the beginnings of a black eye forming. When he looked down at his hip, blood was thoroughly staining his shirt, the rain aiding in its spread. He delicately pulled the hem of the shirt up to see the damage more clearly and immediately decided that nope, he didn’t need to look at it to know it was bad. Best to leave it be until he could get it wrapped up. Maybe Lindsay was still awake and would help him out; she was always the best at keeping secrets.

He looked at his watch and flinched – it was already 2:00 am, he couldn’t expect anyone to be awake at this hour. That left him with finding a car to steal and driving himself home, which didn’t sound like a good time at all. But he definitely wanted out of this blasted rain, that was for sure. When he started looking round for a suitable vehicle though, Gavin instead found that he knew the area more than he had originally thought when planning this mission – it was Ryan’s neighborhood, or at least only a couple blocks from his apartment. Perhaps he wouldn’t have to steal a car after all.

Gavin made up his mind and pushed off the alley wall, walking in the direction of Ryan’s apartment building. The gent had taken the night off to stay at his old flat instead of the penthouse, probably to blow off some steam and spend some time to himself. It wasn’t uncommon for him to do this; he liked his privacy. Gavin could respect that. But right now, he really needed some place dry to collect his thoughts. He’d just pop in for a little bit, maybe borrow Ryan’s car to get back to the penthouse. He’d keep his injuries to himself though – didn’t want to cause any more trouble than he was already going to.

It took him about fifteen minutes to reach Ryan’s door. He paused, suddenly not so sure what he was about to do was a good idea. Ryan hated being woken up, especially when it was his day off. The rest of the Fakes rarely, if ever, came to this place. It was a relic of the Vagabond’s time as a lone wolf, vacant for most of the year but still maintained as a valuable resource. Gavin wasn’t even positive the gent would answer the door even if he did see that it was him outside.

“Can’t hurt to try,” he mumbled under his breath.

Reaching up, he rapped quietly on the door three times. He was glad that the balcony he was on was under cover but the wind kept blowing rain onto him anyway, making him shiver. When there was no response after a minute, he briefly thought about just leaving ( _maybe he’s not actually here_ ) then decided he’d try one more time. _Tap tap tap_.

Twenty seconds later, Gavin heard the soft sound of footsteps behind the door. There was a short pause followed by the sound of several locks being opened before the door swung open and the towering figure of Ryan was revealed, an exhausted and confused look on his face. He was wearing nothing but an old college t-shirt and his briefs. Gavin felt his stomach lurch at the sight.

“Hello Ryan,” he said as confidently as he could.

The gent just glared at him. “What are you doing here”

Ok, so he didn’t sound as angry as Gavin thought he would, just a bit annoyed, which was to be expected. Maybe this would actually work out alright.

“Well, I was in the neighborhood, thought I'd nip by, maybe dry off."

Ryan did not look impressed. “Gavin, it's past two am, what the hell is going on? You're soaked!”

And yeah, ok, he was definitely absolutely drenched at this point, but Gavin figured he could play that to his advantage. He shrugged. "It's nothing, just a little rain. Could do with a towel though?"

In a flash, Gavin found himself being herded into the apartment, Ryan shutting and locking the door behind him. It was a kind of a blur, really; one second Ryan was there, then he wasn’t, and then he was back again with a towel. He wasn’t trying to ignore Ryan but Gavin was having a hard time focusing with how cold he was. It didn’t help that when the older man put the towel around his shoulders, Gavin could smell the subtle notes of his body wash, all _clean_ and _warm_ and so _Ryan_. It did all sorts of things to him that he didn’t have time to think about.

And then he found himself telling Ryan about the failed attempt of a clean job, how his car was stolen and he had to walk there in the rain. He could feel the shame spreading through his chest and knew that he must look like an absolute disaster. Gavin didn’t even want to think about how the older man saw him; he was embarrassed enough as it was, he didn’t need the disappointment he knew Ryan felt.

But then he was being directed into the bathroom and Ryan was turning on the shower and he was distracted all over again. Ryan was still just wearing his sleeping clothes and Gavin was still a mess – honestly, things really couldn’t get much worse.

“Get in, you’re making me cold just looking at you,” Ryan instructed.

Gavin complied, carefully taking off his sodden jacket, waiting till Ryan was almost out the door to start on his blood stained t-shirt. It hurt to move, every shift in body position stretching the wound in his side painfully. _Just get in the shower_ , he told himself, _and everything will be fine._

Except once again, karma reared its ugly head and suddenly Ryan was back in the room and he was demanding to see what was under his shirt.

“What actually happened, Gav. And don’t lie because I can _see_ that you’re not alright.”

 _Shit_.

“It's nothing, I'm fine-" Gavin assured but Ryan kept moving towards him. “Really, Ryan, it's just a scratch-”

Then his shirt was being lifted and Ryan was hissing at the sight of the bloody gash. When he looked back up at Gavin, there was fury in his gaze. It wasn’t clear where the anger was directed but Gavin just _knew_ it was for him; Ryan was mad at him for lying, for attempting to hide his injuries like he was always doing. Once again, he was filled with shame; he just hated being a burden. _I should have never come here_.

Ryan turned the water off and pushed him down onto the toilet seat. “Shirt off.”

Even though he complied, Gavin still stared pleadingly at the gent, heat rising to his face. “I’m ok-”

“Shut up, I'm cleaning this out and you're gonna tell me what exactlywent down.”

Gavin kept quiet for a few minutes as he watched Ryan gently clean the slash, his hands soft and delicate as they worked. He hoped that the older man never looked up at him because he was sure he looked like a right idiot, shivering and completely enraptured but the skin on skin contact. If he wasn’t distracted before, he sure as hell was now.

It seemed like Ryan had lost his patience though. “Start talking.”

So Gavin told him everything, how things had gone well up until the point where he was ambushed, his car was stolen, and he got the absolute shit kicked out of him. As he spoke, he couldn’t even look down; he didn’t think his heart could handle the look Ryan was sure to have on his face. It really began to sink in that he had made a ridiculous decision in coming to the gent’s home when there was the subtle lingering touch of callused fingertips on the skin surrounding the wound; Gavin’s heart pounded in his chest with false hope.

Ryan stood up to turn the shower back on and when Gavin looked at his face, it wasn’t full of disgust or anger but a tired sort of resignation. “Well, don't rack up my water bill.”

And it startled him; he honestly wasn’t expecting Ryan to still want to help him. “Er, right, yeah, shower.” He gingerly got to his feet and stepped up to the curtain.

“As soon as you're done, I'm wrapping you up in so many bandages you'll be forced to actually sit still for more than a day.”

Gavin felt the tips of his ears warm and he frantically hid his face. Only when the door to the bathroom closed all the way did he start removing the rest of his clothes. He was really shivering now, his whole body shaking. When the steaming water hit his flesh, he almost cried out – in comparison to his current temperature, the spray felt scalding hot. But he forced himself to stand under the spout, desperate to warm up. He couldn’t bring himself to do anything else though, opting to remain motionless. He didn’t even reach out to use the body wash, the one that smelled so quintessentially Ryan, even though he knew he wanted to.

The events of the night caught up to him as he stood there, a bone-aching exhaustion creeping into his body despite the heat of the water. All of his nerves tingled painfully, especially the ones in and surrounding the knife wound. It wasn’t the first time he’d been injured fairly nastily – nor would it be the last – but damn if it didn’t hurt like a son of a bitch. Add that to the list of things that were making Gavin feel like a piece of shit.

Midway through his self-pity shower party, he heard the bathroom door open. When it closed again, he peered out of the curtain to see a couple pieces of folded clothes sitting on the counter. Gavin knew that the moment he put those on he would be even more of a mess than he already was; they were sure to smell just like Ryan and that was absolutely terrible.

Sure enough, when he was done with his shower and had dried off, he lifted the hoodie to his face only to smell the overpowering scent of the older man. Gavin groaned quietly into the fabric.

“Keep it together, Gavvy, you can do this,” he whispered to himself, face buried in the sweatshirt.

He wanted to stay in the warm bathroom a little longer, among the steam and quiet, but there was a little blood on his towel and Gavin knew he needed to get it bandaged as soon as possible. So he wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the door to let Ryan know he was ready.

Ryan was in the kitchen when he peaked his head out. “Any chance we can avoid stitches?”

“Not even a little,” the gent replied as he grabbed a large red case off the coffee table.

Gavin was not prepared for what happened next; Ryan put the case down before lifting him up and onto the bathroom counter. The Brit couldn’t help but let out a little squeak at the action, his skin heating up even more. He could only hope that Ryan thought it was purely the warmth of the room itself and not any other not-so-appropriate reasons.

“Sorry in advance,” the older man said roughly.

Gavin huffed. “Not like you haven’t patched me up before.”

But even Gavin could tell that there was something different about this time; he could feel how much more gentle Ryan was being, how careful and precise he was being with that sharp needle. Of course it hurt when it pierced his skin, he knew it would, and yet it was hard to really care when Ryan’s face was so close to his waist that Gavin could feel his breath ghosting over his flesh. Despite the residual warmth from his shower, small shivers still made their way down his spine every now and then. His breath caught in his throat several times and he couldn’t blame it on the stitches. The whole process took maybe ten minutes but it felt like an hour and Gavin didn’t say a word throughout it all. What could he have said that wouldn’t have come out as a confession? Because at this point, in that position, it’s all that wanted to come out of him, to burst forth like a failed dam. Couldn’t be having that now could he?

And then Ryan was stepping back and putting away his supplies and Gavin felt almost empty; he missed the alluringly comforting touch of the other man. There was a tangible tension in the air that he couldn’t get passed, one that reeked of collective nerves and confusing emotions. Ryan looked almost relieved to not be so close and that stung deep, Gavin’s heart taking a hit. But that was to be expected, what with the whole ‘it’s very inconvenient that I have to take care of you’ thing there was going on.

Ryan indicated the clothes Gavin had set back on the counter, heading back out of the bathroom. “I couldn't find anything your size so these will have to do.” His voice sounded raspy, almost hoarse. “Come out when you're ready; I'm making tea.”

Of course Ryan knew exactly what to do to make Gavin feel better – what other ways could fate torture him so?

Gavin hung his towel up on the rack and pulled on the sweatpants. They were indeed too big for him and hung almost too low on his thin frame, his hip bones sticking out above the waistband. The hoodie too was extra large, the sleeves going past his fingers and the hood absolutely engulfing his still-wet head. But the smell – oh, the _smell –_ was comforting in a way that filled Gavin with such a feeling of _safety_ that he never wanted to take it off. He didn’t care that he looked like a drowned rat; this was the most comfortable he’d ever been and he planned on staying that way no matter how much Ryan may want his clothes back in the future.

Rather, that was the dream, wasn’t it? To freely wear Ryan’s clothes and exist in his space? A lofty dream for sure yet it still pulled a powerful sense of longing from his chest and Gavin had to close his eyes for a few long moments before heading out into the rest of the apartment. There he saw Ryan standing in the kitchen, two mugs in front of him and a still-steaming kettle on the counter. For just a moment, it was almost domestic.

Until Ryan turned around and Gavin could have sworn he saw _something_ cross his face, something like mild panic or the need to run, shattering the moment into tiny little pieces. Which yeah, kind of hurt a little; did the sight of him really disturb Ryan that much? Not, apparently, enough to prevent the gent from pointing Gavin to the couch and grabbing the mugs of tea to join him, though Gavin did still sense some sort of reservation.

“How're you, uh, feeling?” Ryan asked once they were both seated. “Bandages not too tight?”

“No, they’re alright,” Gavin responded, reaching for the tea set in front of him on the coffee table.

The first sip surprised him – it was exactly the way he liked, the way he’d been preparing his tea since he was young. How Ryan knew to add just the right amount of milk and sugar eluded him.

He raised his eyebrows and glanced at Ryan. “Perfect.”

There was no hiding the slight dusting of pink on the gent’s cheeks. “You’ve never changed your recipe.”

Gavin certainly hadn’t expected Ryan to even notice how he always took his tea, let alone remember it. It wasn’t a complex combination but it still meant the older man had been paying close attention to him, and that did funny things to his stomach.

Ryan cleared his throat, the silence apparently getting to him. “Do you want to talk about it?” He asked in a quiet voice.

 _Yes_ , Gavin screamed in his head. _Yes yes yes yes_ \- “I’m ok.”

But he wasn’t ok, hadn’t been in ages, and tonight had taken so much out of him it was hard not to just explode. The temptation to just tell Ryan how he felt caused Gavin to practically vibrate with the need. And with how close they were sitting, Gavin was surprised he hadn’t already done just that. He couldn’t help it, it was all too much; Gavin couldn’t handle Ryan be so kind to him when he’d been such a hassle.

“Gav, it's alright that things didn't go the way you planned, we all fuck up some-”

“I’m sorry,” he blurted.

Ryan was understandably shocked by the interruption. “What?”

“I'm sorry for coming here so late at night and taking up your time and for being such a bother." Gavin closed his eyes, mouth running a mile a minute. "It's your day off and I've absolutely buggered it-”

“Gavin, seriously, it's fine. I really don't mind.”

And then there were cool fingers under his his chin and oh, Ryan was touching his face and Gavin couldn’t help but look him in the eye. His skin tingled at the contact. It was getting harder to breathe.

“I'd rather you come here and wake me up than stay outside in the rain with a wound like that.” Ryan sounded so sure, so comforting.

Gavin swallowed thickly. “But why go through all this effort when you could have just called someone?” By someone he meant Jack or Geoff or Michael or _anybody_.

The emotions on Ryan’s face changed as Gavin watched, frustration clear as day. “Because I care about you, you idiot!”

Oh god, now Gavin was sure his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. How could it not with the way Ryan’s eyes burned?

“You mean something to me, ok? A lot,” the gent continued. “Hell, probably more than is healthy at this point. I want to take care of you, don't you get that? You're – important. To me.”

Holy shit.

 _Holy shit_.

“Oh.”

It was all he could get out. This was like some scene from a movie, the kind that Gavin would never admit to enjoying. There was no way it was real, no way Ryan actually just said those words to him. Gavin would have noticed if Ryan felt the same about him! Wouldn’t he? He’d been pining after the man for so long he definitely would have picked up some sort of sign by now.

Except Ryan was looking at him so earnestly that Gavin let himself believe that maybe he was wrong about everything. Maybe Ryan really did feel the same and he’d been just as afraid to say anything as he had been for years. He needed to test this theory, needed to know, so he put his tea down and reached out to place his hand on the side of Ryan’s face.

The gent leaned into his touch with a pained look of hope in his eyes, like he expected Gavin to run away at any moment, or laugh at him. But Gavin suddenly knew _so clearly_ what was happening that he just smiled and moved closer. Finally he was able to let everything out without fear of rejection.

“We're both idiots, aren't we,” he said with a soft smile, one he reserved especially for Ryan, and previously only in his dreams. “Big, dumb idiots. Michael kept telling me but I never thought – I never dreamed you'd feel the same.”

There was a quirk to the gent’s mouth that hadn’t been there before. “You mean-?”

“Yeah, the feeling’s mutual.”

And then Ryan was kissing him and he forgot how to even think.

Now, Gavin had kissed many people before; he had been an adventurous lad back in England and even a bit when he first moved to Los Santos, and he had experienced his fair share of make-out sessions and passionate kisses. But this – _this_ was truly a kiss for the ages. He had never felt so utterly _happy_ before during a kiss, or as warm as he did when it was with Ryan. Because it was heated, wild, and full of desire, yet so incredibly gentle. Gavin could feel it all the way into his bare toes, all the way to the fingertips he was now running through the hairs at the nape of Ryan’s neck. He could barely contain himself.

He felt himself wanting more and the position he was in didn’t allow for that, so Gavin readjusted a little before lifting himself up to straddle Ryan’s lap. He felt a sharp twinge in his side where the knife wound was but it sure as hell didn’t compare to the feeling of Ryan’s hands holding his hips; it felt good to have the larger man’s strong thighs beneath his own. Ryan released one hand and clenched the fabric at the front of the lad’s hoodie, pulling him into his broad chest. Gavin felt his hood fall off but he didn’t care; it made tilting his head and deepening the kiss a little easier, and it let Ryan reach up and tuck some of the lad’s wild damp hair behind his ear, all the while kissing the ever living daylights out of him.

Those feelings were back, the ones that lived nestled deep in Gavin’s chest that he swore to never let out. They were roaring to life and straining against all the walls he had fruitlessly put up to protect himself from their ferocity. But now it was ok to let them out; now he knew that he could say the things he wanted so much to say without fear. So he did, breaking away from Ryan’s lips to lean back only the tiniest amount and stare into Ryan’s eyes.

“Is it stupid to say I love you?”

Ryan laughed, a beautiful, deep sound that Gavin could feel in his own chest. “No.”

“Good, because I’m not taking that back.” He had never been happier in his entire life, the smile Ryan had on his face radiating and returning that love. Gavin tapped their foreheads together and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Any time.”

If Gavin thought that their first kiss – kisses, really – had been wonderful, he truly was not prepared for the glory that was their second one. Or their third, or their fourth. Every kiss they shared was better than the last and Gavin knew that he would never get tired of the way their lips slotted so perfectly together. Neither would he get tired of the way Ryan’s hands seemed to know exactly where to go to send the good kind of shivers through his body. This night may have started out about as shitty as it could have but it sure was ending in the best way possible.

Shame the tea went cold though.


End file.
